Jace and Jackson’s mate Laurie had started a daycare at the ranch and every woman did their part in taking care of the young ones. Meeka’s life had been made so much easier because of it. She felt as if she had family watching Eric and helping him to grow and learn. She still felt guilty leaving him, but it was much easier working knowing that her son was safe and loved.
Now, that was all changing. Her boss Molly had told her today that the boutique was closing and Meeka was out of a job. She was beyond depressed. She was desolate. Nothing was working out for her here anymore. She had no job, no prospects of a job, no mates, and no hope in finding anyone that would love and cherish her. She was a loser with a capital L.
Resting her head against the steering wheel, she fought to keep her tears at bay. She couldn’t allow Eric to see her upset. She had to be strong for him. She had been able to raise him for the past three years under far worse circumstances. She could do it again.
Opening the door of the car, she pulled her tired body from it, dragging her purse along with her. Slamming the door behind her, she walked up the three wooden steps to the small building and opened the door. Stepping inside, she couldn’t help but feel happy when she saw the large playroom filled with the children of the pack. All of the women were in attendance as well, each of them sitting on the large red couches and overstuffed chairs with children of varying ages upon their laps listening to stories being read to them or creating something wonderful with various toys that encouraged creativity and knowledge.
She smiled as she saw her son sitting next to Julia, carefully petting her infant son’s head. It seemed that every time Eric was around Owen, he couldn’t stop taking care of him and looking out for him. Seeing her son’s gentleness made her sigh. She was so proud of the little boy that he was. He was kind and loving. He was exactly the kind of boy who would grow up to be a wonderful man. She was so very thankful to have him.
“Hi, Mommy,” he called out to her quietly. “Owen is sleeping so we have to be quiet.”
Meeka walked over to the couch and knelt before it, leaning forward to kiss Eric’s cheek lightly before leaning in to kiss the top of Owen’s little head. “He’s getting so big, Julia,” she said softly, smiling up at her.
Julia’s brown eyes twinkled with happiness. “He is,” she agreed. “Eric has been helping me with him all day. I think he’s a good partner to him.”
“Partner?” Meeka asked, confused.
Julia nodded and reached out to touch Eric’s black hair, smoothing it back from his forehead as he smiled up at her. “Yes. I think your son is my son’s triad partner,” Julia explained calmly. “Martha told me that when my mates Adrian and Colin were little, they were drawn to each other exactly as Eric is drawn to my Owen.” She looked up at Meeka and smiled. “Looks like you and I are going to be in-laws.”
Meeka was stunned into silence. “That’s amazing,” she said finally as she reached up and touched her son’s cheek. “Do you think you and Owen are going to be best friends, Eric?”
Eric’s sweet face beamed with happiness. “Yes, Mommy. Me and Owen are best friends.”
“Now we just have to figure out who their mate is going to be,” Julia teased.
“Geez, Julia,” Meeka whispered as worry filled her. “Isn’t it a little early to be thinking about that?”
“Not really, Meeka,” Julia told her calmly. “I knew right away that Adrian and Colin belonged to me. I was only four when I told them that they had better behave or I wouldn’t love them.”
“You told them that?” Meeka asked, shocked.
“I did,” Julia said, smiling smugly. “I wasn’t going to be their mate if they didn’t behave like good wolves. They had to work hard to get me to love them.”
“And did they?”
“Oh, yeah. They practically tripped over themselves as they proved to me every day that they were good wolves.” She wiggled her eyebrows at Meeka. “When they were older, they had to really work at it. They chased me and chased me until I let them catch me.” She smiled at Meeka and leaned forward to whisper conspiratorially. “We have to show them who’s in charge right from the beginning, Meeka. Otherwise, they’ll think they own us.”
“Oh, Julia, you know our mates own us body and soul,” Suzie spoke up from her place on the other couch, kissing the top of Julia’s daughter Tammy’s head as she sat next to her with a giant reading book. “And I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
“I have to agree with you, Suzie,” Abbey chimed in. “Hunter and Clay are definitely my reason for being so happy.”
“Yes, but we are just as much the reason for them being happy,” Nikki spoke up. “So who really owns whom?”
“I would say it’s a mutual ownership,” Laurie said thoughtfully.
“Yes, I would agree with that,” Julia said, smiling at Laurie and nodding.
“Well,” Nikki began.
Laurie looked at her best friend and couldn’t prevent the smile that came to her face. She just knew Nikki was about to impart something insightful and probably embarrassing. She looked forward to hearing it.
“Well, what, Nikki?” she egged her on.
“I was just thinking that I like that we mutually own each other,” Nikki said quietly.
“And…” Laurie encouraged her.
“And I’m really glad that they own me. Especially when we’re making love,” Nikki whispered, winking boldly at her best friend.
“Me, too,” Suzie piped in.
“Oh, yeah,” Abbey agreed.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Julia chimed in, lifting her son and placing him against her shoulder to pat his back gently. “They make my wolf growl and prance.”
Meeka started laughing and couldn’t stop. She had to sit down on the floor as all strength left her. “All of you are just too much,” she said finally, gathering Eric within her arms as he climbed down off the couch and sat in her lap.
She looked around at all the happily mated women and smiled sadly as quiet descended over them. They became lost in their own thoughts about their mates. Meeka was sure that their thoughts were of the gentle and thorough loving that their men gave them. She couldn’t blame them for losing their hearts to their men. She was just sad that she would never be able to be a part of such wonderful memories and thoughts. She wanted to be able to think about how her mates made love to her and owned her as much as she owned them. But that was obviously never going to happen.
“Mommy, are you okay?” Eric asked her calmly.
“Yes, sweetheart. I’m fine,” she assured him, amazed that her son always seemed to pick up on her emotions and know when something was wrong. “Did you have a good day?”
“Yes, Mommy,” he told her without hesitation. “I like coming to daycare. Everyone is so nice. Aunt Suzie helped me learn letters today, and Aunt Abbey played card games with me.”
“That sounds like you had a really nice day, Eric,” Meeka told him seriously. “Did you help with the other children? You know you need to help all of your aunts so they’re not so tired.”
She looked up and saw that Suzie, Abbey, Nikki, and Laurie were all relaxing on the second couch. As she looked at them and saw their bellies swollen with their babies, she couldn’t help but feel a rush of longing that she would be as happily mated and pregnant as they were.
“Did all of you have a good day?” she asked them, smiling at the happy expressions that each of them gave her. “Never mind. You all look incredibly happy. You don’t have to tell me.”
Laurie stood awkwardly, her hand rubbing her belly soothingly. Jace and Jackson were hovering daddies-to-be. Meeka was surprised that they weren’t there right now. The way they loved Laurie was legendary within the pack.
Meeka was stunned by the intensity with which all of the men of Beckett’s pack loved their women and children. It gave her hope that there were actually decent men out there who truly wanted a wife and a family. She was the one who was unlucky in that department.
The men meant for her didn’t want her and wouldn’t claim her. It didn’t matter why. It didn’t ease her pain to know why.
“Eric is a big help to all of us,” Laurie said as she smiled down at Eric. “We’re lucky to have him here with us.”
When she reached down to pet Eric’s head lightly, Eric stood up and wrapped his arms around her legs, resting his head against her belly. Meeka was shocked to see how tightly her son was holding onto the queen of the pack.
“I love you, Laurie,” Eric told her fiercely.
“I love you, Eric,” Laurie answered without hesitation. “You are the best little boy.” She leaned down and carefully picked him up to hold him against her chest and cuddle him sweetly. “Do you think you can love my little girl when she’s born and look out for her the way you look out for Owen?”
Eric nodded happily. “I will look out for her, Laurie,” he promised. “I don’t know her name. Do you know her name?”
“Yes, I do,” Laurie told him softly. “But it’s a secret, honey.
“I won’t tell,” Eric said very seriously. “Me and Owen will watch over her. We’ll call her Cassy.”
Laurie was stunned by Eric’s words. She looked at Julia in shock, seeing how her first friend within the pack looked at her and smiled warmly.
“Jace and Jackson and I decided to name our little girl Casandra,” she said quietly. “I didn’t want to say anything because I’m afraid of something going wrong. I didn’t want to jinx it, you know?”
“Looks like we’ve found the third to our little triad,” Julia said gently.
“Do you think so, Julia?” Laurie whispered, hugging Eric to her tightly as she thought about this little boy and Julia’s little boy loving the little girl she was carrying. “Should this be freaking me out?”
Julia stood slowly, glad when Meeka stood and offered her hand to help her up. She stepped closer to Laurie, drawing Meeka with her and leaning against Laurie as Meeka wrapped her arms around the both of them.
“This is a good thing,” Julia told them both gently. “This future triad will be a loving one. We’ll never have to worry that our children will be alone or left searching for their mates. This is a very good thing.”
Meeka leaned in and kissed her son’s cheek, smiling as he reached out and hugged Owen carefully. It was amazing that Eric already felt the urge to protect his triad partner. It was obvious that he already cared about Owen, and Meeka knew he would also be protective and care for Laurie’s daughter, too. Eric was such a kind and gentle soul. She was happy that he had found his two best friends at such a young age.
She thought about Wade and Reece and ached for them. She wanted them as her mates, but she also craved the bond that only their friendship would provide for her. To be friends as well as lovers would guarantee a lifetime of happiness. She truly believed that.
Looking at her son, she saw the way he looked at Owen and realized that he was already the baby’s protector and friend. In that moment, she realized that the way of the shifter community gave each magical member a special link to another. Eric would never be alone. He would never be without friends. He would never have to worry that someone didn’t care about him or love him.
“I’m glad,” she finally whispered, looking at Julia and Laurie.
Laurie nodded—too overwhelmed to speak.
Chapter 6
Jace Beckett stood beside his large desk in the office he shared with his triad partner Jackson Scott and looked down at Mitchell Robinson as he sat in the chair directly in front of him. He was inordinately pleased that Mitchell had found a safe home within his pack. He was even more pleased to know that he was triad partners with Laurie’s son Dean.
Our son, Jackson’s proud voice interrupted his thoughts.
Yes. Our son, Jace agreed, thinking about the young man who had nestled himself deep into his heart. Dean’s sister Mia had done the same. Both children were kind and loving people, just as their mother was. We’re pretty damn lucky to have them as ours, Jackson.
Luck has nothing to do with it, Jace.
No?
No. It was destined. The Fates gave them to us.
Jace chuckled softly. Okay, Jackson. It was destined. But we’re two lucky bastards to have been given them by the Fates.
Jackson laughed softly as he stepped toward Mitchell and touched his shoulder lightly. He was glad to see that Mitchell had finally filled out. His body was no longer gaunt and weak. His face no longer held the evidence of the beatings he had sustained at the hands of Alpha Randall. He looked healthy and strong.
“What did you want to talk to us about, Mitchell?” he asked him gently. When Mitchell looked up and smiled sadly at him, Jackson knew a moment of worry.
“I had a dream,” Mitchell told them after taking a calming breath to soothe his nerves.
“What was the dream about?” Jace asked him as he settled his massive body on the edge of his desk to look down at Mitchell.
He knew that Mitchell had inherited the gift of sight from Suzie. She had explained to them that her gift was passed on to her brother from her mother. She once had the same gift but now that she was pregnant, the gift had faded. Jace didn’t really understand why Suzie’s pregnancy made her gift fade, but who was he to question the way of the Fates.
“It was about Meeka,” Mitchell told him. “I wasn’t able to see the whole thing. It was kind of hazy and having these dreams is still kind of new to me.”
“Take your time, Mitchell,” Jace told him calmly. “Just tell us what you saw, and we’ll try to figure it out together.”
“Okay,” Mitchell said, breathing a sigh of relief. “I saw that Meeka was really upset. She was talking about not being able to take care of Eric. She said she had to go away.”
“Did she say why she felt that way?” Jackson asked, stepping closer to Jace as they faced the young man.
Mitchell shook his head. “No. She just said she couldn’t take care of him.”
“We’ll just have to ask her why she’s thinking that way,” Jace said calmly. “We can’t help her if she doesn’t tell us what’s wrong.”
“That’s not all, Jace,” Mitchell said as Jace began to rise. He waited until Jace sat back down on the edge of the desk before he spoke again. “I saw Meeka in a car accident.”
“What?” Jace’s entire body tensed. “Where did this happen?”
“I’m not sure. I just saw that she was slumped over the steering wheel. In the dream, someone reached in and pushed her back against the seat.”
“Someone?” Jackson asked, worried by Mitchell’s evasiveness.
“I couldn’t see who it was,” Mitchell told them. “I could only see scars on his forearm.”
“Wade,” Jace said with certainty. “What else did you see, Mitchell?”
“I saw a lot of blood.” Mitchell’s face lost color as he reached out and gripped Jace’s forearm. “Meeka’s face was covered in blood.”
“Hell,” Jackson muttered.
“Jackson, I want Reece and Wade in my office within the next fifteen minutes,” Jace nearly roared.
Jackson nodded, walked briskly to his desk and picked up the phone there. He was not about to question Jace’s order. He felt that it was about time that Wade and Reece were guided to claim their mate just as Jace did. He was going to be very happy to help his alpha do the guiding.
“Stubborn fools,” he muttered to himself as he dialed the number to Reece and Wade’s auto body shop.
Reece and Wade raced toward the daycare center, their powerful legs eating up the distance between Jace and Jackson’s office and the center in just a few minutes. Their alpha and beta had just told them that Mitchell had seen that Meeka was going to be in a car accident. Neither man had ever felt such fear in their lives. No pain, no torture they experienced at the hands of Alpha Randall, no frustration at being unable to control their wolves, equaled the bone-rattling fear that filled them at the thought of Meeka being hurt in a car accident.
&nb
sp; The firm words that Jace had hurled at them were justly deserved. Jackson was equally insistent that both men were throwing away a beautiful thing and hurting Meeka in the process. They had never seen their leaders so angry with a pack member in all the time they had lived within their pack community.
Both men knew that they deserved whatever lecture they had received. But neither Jace nor Jackson understood why they couldn’t claim Meeka. It was something that they had kept from them. It wasn’t right, but it was what had evolved to be over the years. Only Drew and Carter were privy to their secret, and both Wade and Reece had made both men keep their secret by invoking patient privilege. Drew had agreed only because it wasn’t affecting the pack. If it had, he would have had no choice but to tell their alpha. Reece’s brother Carter had agreed because he understood the deep embarrassment of the two men. He also felt responsible for their predicament, and to some degree he was. But, ultimately, what had happened to them, and what had shaped their lives, was the responsibility of one man. Alpha Randall.
“She’d better be okay,” Reece muttered as they bounded up the front steps of the building that housed the daycare.
“Reece, I can’t deny her anymore,” Wade told him, reaching out and grabbing for Reece’s forearm.
Reece turned to face his triad partner, agony evident in his light blue eyes. “Wade,” he said softly, his broken voice heavy with sadness.
“No, Reece,” Wade stopped him. “We deserve a life with her. She and Eric are good for both of us. Look how they were able to calm your wolf.”
“But I almost hurt them,” Reece said softly, all of his pain and agony coming out in his voice.
“No, you didn’t. You started to, but Eric calmed you. So did Meeka. They’re good for you, Reece. They’ll help you regain control over your wolf. They’ll help me control my wolf, too. I know they will.”
Meeka's Reluctant Mates [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 7
